BROOKINGS, S.D.-- Washington State's last minute rally was held off by South Dakota State resulting in a 63-58 defeat for the Cougars Sunday afternoon.

Carly Noyes paced Washington State (2-2) with 12 points while Tia Presley and Sage Romberg each chipped in 11. Jazmine Perkins added nine points, eight boards and six steals. The Cougars finished the game shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and forced 22 SDSU (2-2) turnovers but the Jackrabbits made 38 trips to the free throw line while the Cougs went just 15 times.

"We got in a little foul trouble early but our defense in the second half got us back in the game and gave us a chance," head coach June Daugherty said. "I was pleased with how we adjusted in the second half. Jaz (Perkins) and Carly (Noyes) did a great job of leading us in our second half rebounding and hustle plays but our lack of execution on the offensive end in the final 90 seconds was the difference."

The Cougars opened the game by quickly building an 18-8 advantage after a Katie Grad layup and a free throw from Hana Potter at the 12:09 mark. The Jackrabbits were able to come right back with a 16-2 run midway through the first half and eventually take a 24-20 lead. Both teams traded buckets in the final minutes of the half as WSU went into the half trailing 36-29.

As they have done in each of the season's first four games, the Cougars used their defense in the early minutes of the second half to make it a game. Noyes ignited a 9-2 WSU spurt with consecutive buckets before Rosie Tarnowski hit a three and Presley followed with a layup to give the Cougs a 52-48 lead with 7:44 remaining.

Minutes later, the Jackrabbits regained the lead after a coupe trips to the free throw line that keyed a 7-0 stretch for SDSU.

Down 58-52 with 3:08 remaining, the Cougars didn't go away and made a run as Romberg hit a three, Perkins made a steal and Presley later drove to the basket and got fouled as she went up for the layup. The freshman got the layup to fall and then hit the free throw to knot the game 58-58 with 2:18 left.

SDSU went up 60-58 on a jumper with 1:03 remaining. Romberg then had her jumper rattle in-and-out as SDSU grabbed the rebound and WSU was whistled for a foul. The Jackrabbits hit 1-of-2 free throws to open up a three-point lead but WSU couldn't get a shot to fall in the final seconds as the South Dakota State added two more free throws and held on for the win.

"We are very excited and honored to receive an invite to play in such a prestigious tournament like the Paradise Jam," Daugherty added. "We are looking forward to getting down there and representing Washington State well against three very good opponents."